Switch



Patented June 17, 1939 i s'rarns ,ferner Fries `WALTER A. nel N RIcH, or sr. Leiris,` Iviissonnr, iisscnoni'ro w. N. MATTHEWS COR- `i=onnrioit onsfr. Leers, ivirssoiini, A'ccnrorznrion or MISSOURI `ments of the invention, y

swircri: p

Application filed January 25,- 1526. Serial No. 83,530.

yThis invention relates to electrical distribution .apparatus and particularly to fuse switches and `their, containing boxes such as are usedl in highpotential transmission lines. rEhe general typevof switch box involved is show n in prior Patents, No. 1,288,951 and No. 1,398,835, issued to Claude L. Matthews and proved combination of parts whereby positive operation of the switch may be had withontjammingof parts and yet whereby more or less, loose iitsmaybe employed `between certainV removable elements. which haveY a tendency, when made up with the ordinarily required accurate fits, to swell and stick,"or corrode andstick, so that quick manual removal f is impossible. The present invention permits ready removal and insertion of these certain v parts under adverse service conditions, that is, without the application of excessive force `or-'the lrequiremeirs .of an accurate manipulation. `Other objectswill appear in part and will in part be pointed out hereinafter.

The; invention accordingly .comprises the ,features of construction, combinations of ele- `mentsand'arrangementsof parts, which are exemplified in the description hereinafterin l connection with the accompanying` drawings, andthe scope of the application vof which will be indicated 1n thefollowing claims.

1 inthe accompanyiiigl drawings, in which is illustrated one` of various possibie embodi- -.lh`ig.. 1 isi-a vertical section taken from front to rear ofthe fuse boxyshowing certain parts Vin elevatioinand in dotted. lines alternate positions'of certain parts, a clip block being shown in lowered position;

. 11 Fig'..2;is a'vertical section. taken on line 2 2 or" Fig-l, the `lid being shownopen, the clip block. in raised, connected. position, and the fuse bloclr'removedy l Fig; 3 isa longitudinal section .ofthe fuse block,- and,

. switch box.

Fig. l is ahottom plan view of the switch box as a whole showing it closed and in coniiected position.

Similar reference characters indicate similar parts throughout 'the several views of the drawings.

Referring no w more particularly'to Figs. 1 and 2, there is illustrated at 1 the back of the vSides 3 are made fast to the back 1. The rapper edges of the sides slope rearwardly and a rearwardly sloping waterproof cover 5 is screwed to the top edges of the back sides. The cover 5 overhangs the boX at all points to form eaves. It comprises a preferably wooden piece 6 covered by a copper ory other non-corroding sheet of .material 8. The

sheet 8 is turned under at the edges of the covl er.

A partially open bottom formed inthe box.

On the sides 3 beneath the eaves of the cover 5 are screwed forwardly extending purchase portion 7 is l pieces 9. These extend forwardly past and flush with a front door 11. The door 11 has screwed to its edges vertical purchase pieces 13, crimped to accommodate the passage of saidpieces 9. rlhe pairs of pieces 9 and 13 intersect one another inside elevation and at the point of intersection are provided with holes drilled vin line. A. set` of drive screws 17 are horizontally 'passed through the pairs of holes and into the door 11 whereby the door 1 1is rnggedlyland economically hinged to the said box at the top front edge thereof. The

improved, purchase on the box of the hinges, formed as described, is evident.

. The door llswings forwardly on the hinge pieces and at its lower end isprovided with an inwardly extending portion of said bottoni '.7 '(seefh`ig. ll). The portions 7 and 15 of t ie bottom cooperate when the door 11 is ciosed to close the lower endof the boX eX- cept at an open slot-19. This slot 19 permits the lower open end 21 of a fuse block 23 to protrude' from the box for purposes to'be described. The slot is cut partially in the piece 17 and partially in the piece 15.

spring' metal screwedto the door and having sideward legs 18. `The legs 18 are provided "'wireconnectors 63 located an larl "with rev ardtofthe vertical lcenter line o the box.

with holes 20 which yieldingly yengage the heads of screws 22 placed in the sides 3 of the box.

To hold the door in open positionk while the fuse carrying member 23 is being removed lor're 7laced or other operations performed,

there is provided a spring detiene member 97, one end of which is pivotally connected to a 'y Elitablebracket 29.01; the door 11 Fig. 1).

hisdetent member 27 isfproyid slot 31 through which passesa pin or stud 33,

the same being seated in the end of the'side walls 3. The inner end of this detent is'rebent to form a spring f inger35, theend of .which bears against the inner face of said de- 1 tent 27, and thus when the door is swung into open position, -as shown by dotted lines in f Fig. 1,`the head ofthe stud 33 willride into i' restrained in open position. Y

position beileaththe ssring' fin r as shown oor will in Fig. 2,-and thus the The xbox ys a whole is heldin position by i kbrackets 37,5astenedto the back 1. Y

- Within the boxy are' provided several novel *sa cligblookand fuse block.

features for making' quick connections to a n. the back-1, within the boris pievidsd an-ad'ustable clip block 39. This block'is provi edrv with slots 41 for' the loose passage also" through holes'iii the back -1 ofthe box an are v: provided on the 'outside with washers and therethrough i of' bolts 43. Thefbolts ass nuts. The headsof the'k bolts V43 vare larger than theslots 41', and hence by `tightening" the nuts may be caused to clamp the clip-'block A against. the back 1 of` the box.fLikewise l to flo'osening of the nut will 'permit the; slip block 39` to be adjusted-verticall l The-'clip block'39 comprises th v`o g'thin barinto which said slots 41 are cut. f ."carries at each end acli insulator 45.

lAt the upper end oft einsulators 45 are e relatively It molded-in U-shaped clip assemblies 51.

Y'lhese Yform switch terminals. Fastened to saidjnssemblies or terminals 51 are terminal he connectors 63 are'ada dto-receive wire `ends therein "and :are provided'with'setsserews for holding-the wires-5 Between y.the inner ;operi'endsof` the pairs of hollow connectorsl Y )X33-gare cast two solder troughs 4r65 separated 'from' one another by a 'walljT-.f By this, .'means-either orlboth of tworwiresbrought intera pair-.oi connectorsc 63 may readily bel soldered 4after fastening *plished'byimeans of tbes'crews,

has been accom- The slip fbik a9 euries an insulator ubww.

various y sembl 4.at 'each-(end thereof. It is evident fthat t e clip block carrying this insulator assemblies may be movedvertically into any of positions i Tl'lrPul'pose this is as 'follewsf: y. i Y lj `When leading wlesinto the switch box it is?r'iecessaiyr-toI provideample-insulation there- 1.764.403 f f LA .Y

for. Hence the sides 3 of the box are drilled in aslanting fashion as shown in Fi 2 at the numerals 69. These holes 69 are a apted to receive cylindrical insulators 71 from the inside of the box. The insulators 71 arev rovided' withshoulders 73 whichA preventt eir sliding out of the box; and they are pointed downwardly inthe box. Y 4 l Y i he parts kofjthis devejlare so arranged that when the ellp"bloek`assembly 39 is in its lowermostposition (Fig. 1), the insulator andthe clip assemblies 51 do` not 'interfere' with `the enteri `.of` the insulator tubes 71 into their respective holes 69. VHowever after theinsulator tubes 71 have been entered into their respectiv'evholes 69 the clip block and all that it carries may be slidupwardly tothe position shown in Fig. 2, whereupon the wire to prevent moisture from enter? terminal pieces 63 are aligned with the centers a5 Aof the ofthe insulators 71. After posi` tionihgtheielip block, as'deseribed, the nuts of bones43 may be tightened to hold Ysaid l block in its properposition." In Fig. 1 the fuse-carrying member 28 isshownin position` for cenvenienoeof illustration.

` After alignment betweenterminals 63and ins'uhltors' 1 is attained shown in Fig. 2,

wires '2 5 maybe pushedthrough'tbe insulators 71direotly into the'` wire terminals 63 and the.; 05

ends put intol troughs 65 without bending -or plie o thewire and into oneof thetrou Referring now te'Fig.-'3, the fusecarrying `member or-switeh 28 will be described.`

Y 65 thereby makingan excellent electrieal con- `It comprises two, preferably libre, insulatine tubes held together/by a lower band 77,

and a central bandV and metallic terminal ieee 79. At the upperend ofthe-longerV o the two tubes, namely tube 81, is provided another metallie'f terminal ypiede 83.vv The terminal fpiesm and83 are adapted to "receive in to the .erimapzng the wire.- Solder may then'bee g offthetubes. The fuse terminals 79 and 83V of the fuse or switch 23 `are adapted tovresilf ientlyfco-operate with the elipassemblieslor Vterminals 51 if positioned between the Yside-` ward springl legs SQIosad-AU-shlped' assemlower insulator assembly 45.; 'Thiselanip is rovided with l'.-ldown'war`d.A extension 91. orwardlypositioned legs '931 and 95 are formed .withthe extension 91; The lower leg blies 51'. Inrorderto fnnilitateA lacement'of the fuse block afclamp v88 is ma eflst'to the 93 has a pivot 97formed therewith at a point Y substantiallyl in line theilat base portions 99 ofthe U-shaped'clips 51. `The pivotf 97 rotatably carries a girth strap 101 adapted to loosely surround the lower end 21 of the fuse block. The strap 101 forms a loose socket which might be made in differentways.

By thrusting the lower end 21 of the fuse block 23 into the strap or socket 101, it will be automatically positioned for insertion of the terminals 79 and 83 into the clips 51. The bandv 77 serves to position the block vertically. Said band 7 7 positions itself under the arm 95, the play at the strap 101 permitting such placement. v

Then by swinging the fuse carrying member 23 with the strap 101 vertically, the terminal pieces 79 and 83 of the member 23 are thrown into contact with the clips 51 and hence electrical connection is made between the respective clips on the insulators. These clips are the line terminals, as described, and are now connected by means of the fuse wire 85.

lt may be seen that the loose connection between the fibre tubes 81 and 82' of the fuse block 23 and the strap or socket 101 is provided in order that, notonly may the block be readily thrust linto said strap 101, but also that swelling or corroding of the tubes of the block will not cause the block to be wedged into said strap 101 or like member. Such -wedging actioncauses much troublel for the Vlinemen in that a blown fuse thus jammed or stuck can only be removed at the expense of a disassembly of certain parts or a breakage of parts. The relatively inaccessible positions generally occupied by these line switches multiply the diliiculties. Heretofore initially snug fits were necessary between members such as member 101 and the tubes of the preferably fibre fuse block. This was because more or less perfect alignment was needed between the swinging block 23 and the clips 51 when the pivot I.) fuse 97 was located an appreciable distance below the line of the clip bases 99. Under the described previous pivoting conditions, the terminals 79 and 83 of the fuse block 23 were caused to enter the spring legs 89 of the clips 51 with a large component of motion directly into the lower unrounded edges 103. .It was therefore necessary to provide good alignment and therefore a tight fit at a member such as member 101, 1n order that looseness :would not cause jamming or interference at said unrounded clip edges 103. The tight fit caused the diiliculties due to swelling of the fibre as ,hereinbefore noted.

The present positioning ofthe pivot 97 Valmost entirely eliminates said large component of motion directly into the unrounded edges 103. The fit at the strap 101 may then be made loose because accurate positioning of the terminals 79 and 83 need not be had in order to place them into clips lrsubstantially from the rounded top edges 105.

The purpose of the arm or leg 95 1s to prevent a rocketing motion of the fuse block 23 vand 83 are all tightly Vformed with the tubes 81 and `82.

It is -evident from the above-that a fuse yblock 23 may at any time be readily put into or .ta-ken from aboX with little time or trouble being involved `in unwedging blocks ornicely manipulating a block to align with its terminal clips 51. The unit 23 may comprise .an ordinary switch bar without a fuse therein. Such bars and the described fuse assembly are interchangeable. f

In order to make the device safe for operation by a lineman, a bridge portion 107 is cast with the upper terminal piece 83 which may be engaged by a hook of an insulated tool carried by the lineman, whereby he is not required to app-ly his bare hands to the fusecarrying member 23, either for engagement or disengagement thereof. The improvements above set forth vare of increased value where it is needful to use such a safety tool as described, because less accurate con. trol is had of the block 23 with the tool than with the hands. y

It should be understood that although four holes 69 .are shown kin the accompanying drawings for the use offour insulators 71 and four lead-in wires, thatonly'two insulators 71 are shown, althoughfour ofthem might be used if desired.

From the above it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are attained and other advantageous results achieved.

As many modifications of the embodiments above illustrated might be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention, it is intended that the above description and accompanying draw- 1 ings and claims shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A fused switch comprising a box, au insulator block assembly therein carrying terminals, a fuse block adapted to electrically connect the terminals, a clamp fastened to said assembly, a socket pivoted to said clamp, said pivot being substantially aligned with said terminals, the socket being adapted to loosely receive the fuse block, and a lug fastened to said clamp adapted to prevent movement of the fuse block from the terminals when the fuse blows.

2. A fused switch comprising a box, an insulator block assembly therein carrying U- shaped fuse terminals, a fuse block adapted to electrically connect the terminals, a clamp fastened to said assembly, a socket pivoted tov said clamp, said pivot being substantially aligned with the base portion of said terminals, the socket being adapted to loosely receive one end of the fuse block, and a lug fastened to said clamp adapted-to prevent' movement :ofthe fuse' block from .the i terminals`when the fuse blows. I e' y l n 3. A switch `cornprisingn box,1termin`al e carrying means therein, :terminals therefor, y Y 5 Vmeans adapted to electrically. connect'the i1 *terminnhsi,:ind-ineens fastnedto'saidftermi- L,

n nal-cerryin rineens hnvingfasodietpivoted l ',thereto, 'sai socketbeingfwdptedto removably receive f said-connecting meens,= said f. y ws'oeket beingpoitioned f'belowfthe lowest of i said terminala-Lf 4.57`A: switch 'comprising/xbox, an adjustable tenninal-eorrying'ffassembiy therein, s terminals therefor,^connectin .means for `15-said` terminale, means -fastene "to said as- .-seinbl'yv havingfsocketpivoted thereto,.sa,id socket being adapted Ato removabl receive saidconnecting means, saidsqcket in kpositionedbelow the lowest of said terminals,

` 20 and -a member fnstened'tosid fastened Vmeans ada ted to prevent-longitudinal movement of tliieiconnectingmeans-Vwhenfsaid connecting means is' in connecting position.

' y 5. A switch comprising a, support, termi- 25 nalcarrying means thereon-,terminalsthere-- for, means adaptedto-lectrically connect Y said terminals, Ineens fastened totheterminal Y, Ycarrying meansV having il fsoclte't swi-ngable thereon, said' socket being: adapted toremovy ,1730i ebly'receivesaidelectricel connec.tii'igineans,` 'i Y r vsaid socket beingpositioned lbelowfthe lowest j j g 1 ff y#ofsaidterminals.

1' 1 f In testimony whereof, I have signed my' ,e name -to thisrf'spec'iiication this 20th" day of n vSfJllmmry,1926. l

, :WALTERIAuHEINRICH: 

